Their First Noel
by Ellislash
Summary: There's a little something extra for Ellis on their first Christmas together. NxE, ALL THE FLUFF, some mild language. I don't own anything Valve does.


"_Oh_ my _God_, it's CHRISTMAS!"

The whole house was roused at 6:28am on December 25th by an exultant cry. Nick groaned and covered his head with a pillow. Coach muttered about kids not respectin' anybody else's rest, and turned over in bed. Rochelle had been slowly waking up for an hour already, and gave up trying to fall back asleep. She groggily stumbled towards the bathroom, but was intercepted by a flying ball of muscle in red-and-green boxers.

Ellis, grinning hugely, nearly picked the woman up with his hug. "Come on, Ro, there's _presents!_" She staggered when he put her down and danced down the hall, calling for Nick and Coach to come out and celebrate.

Rochelle nearly smiled when Nick opened his door to throw a pillow at the exuberant young man and then slammed it again. She blearily continued down the hall, half-listening to them argue through the door behind her.

"Hey, what was that for? Nick, it's Christmas, we gotta open presents!"

"Well I didn't get you one, so shut up and let me sleep!"

Cold water in her face wakened her fully. She brushed her teeth, washed up, and painstakingly combed her hair. Those two were still at it. Rochelle tidied up the sink area before taking her makeup from the cabinet. _They __say _I _have __too __much __stuff, __but __they__'__re __the __ones __leaving __shit __all __over __the __place,_ she thought wryly while cleaning beard-hair from the drain.

She was putting the last touches on her eyeshadow when there was a knock at the door.

"Ro? Them bastards don't let a man get any sleep 'round here."

Coach, looking exhausted and a little silly in bare feet and pajamas, took over the bathroom for morning ablutions. Rochelle returned to her room to get dressed, refusing to be dragged into the continuing row between her other two comrades.

"Ellis, sweetie, the boxes will still be there when the rest of us get up. Go put some clothes on."

The young man complained, but retreated from Nick's door. An overly dramatic "_Thank_ you!" was heard from behind it. Ellis went to his room, but called out before entering.

"Y'all got no _spirit_, guys! That's what Christmas is all _about_, y'know?" He shut himself in to change.

Rochelle did the same. She opened her closet, which was not as full as her pre-plague one but definitely better stocked than any of the guys'. _Well,__ Nick__ likes __to __dress __sharp_, she considered while selecting an outfit. _He __might __have __more __clothes __than__ he__'__d __admit._ Today she did not torture Ellis by taking an hour to choose her shirt. Instead she drew out the skirt and top she'd been reserving as a holiday match and tossed them onto her bed. They were quickly followed by her nightgown, and Rochelle artfully constructed her look for the day.

When she was dressed, she decided that coffee would be an excellent idea. Descending the stairs of their small government-issue house, she headed to the kitchen and set up the percolator. Coach and Ellis were at the table with bowls of cereal. The older man wore a smart green collared shirt and slacks; his irrepressible companion had clearly thrown on the first thing he'd picked up. Ellis' hair was everywhere (_That__ boy __needs __a__ haircut,_ thought Rochelle), and he had on a paint-spattered pair of cargo pants below the blue "Power Rangers" shirt he'd worn two days ago. He looked two decades short of his twenty-five years as he practically bounced in his chair.

"Y'all gonna _love_ what I gotcha guys, I been savin' all summer from the shop, since this is our first real Christmas t'gether 'cuz last year we was in that camp an' it don't count, an' who _knows_ what's gonna happen next year, but we got a _house_ an' we can live with reg'lar folks again an' that's worth _celebratin__'_!" He took a huge breath and several large spoonfuls of "Command-o-Crunch."

In the blessed silence, the smell of brewing coffee was quite calming. Rochelle took a yogurt from the fridge and a spoon from the drawer, squeezing behind her roommates in the small kitchen. _Ain__'__t__ so __bad, __really_, she thought, breaking the seal. _Uncle__ Sam __did _some_thing __right __for __once, __building __so __much __housing __so __fast._

Ellis drank the milk from his bowl and reached again for the cereal box, resuming his excited chatter. Rochelle tuned it out and glanced up the stairs to see if Nick was human yet. She wondered idly why they'd been placed in a house where all the bedrooms were singles, and there was only one bathroom between the four of them. _The__ boys __were __pretty __upset __at __not __getting __a__ king-size __bed,_ she recalled, _but__ Coach __loves __it. __I__ guess __he__'__s __sick __of __hearing __them__ in __the __middle __of __the __night._

Rochelle smiled knowingly as she licked her spoon and threw out the empty container. Coach finished his breakfast and heaved himself up to take three mugs (Ellis wasn't allowed caffeine, ever) down from their hooks. The pot was almost full.

"Coffee. Need coffee." Nick's raspy voice came to them from upstairs. Rochelle looked up from pouring to see the ex-conman shuffle down. His hair was in even worse shape than Ellis' and his icy blue shirt was only half-buttoned. He raised his bleary eyes to Rochelle and extended his hand, looking disturbingly like one of the infected they'd recently tried so hard to escape from. She picked up the biggest mug and handed it over.

"Black as your own heart, as usual. You look like death, honey," she commented with concern. "Maybe you should go back to bed for a while?"

Nick had downed half the scalding liquid before she'd finished talking. "Thanks, _mom_, but I'd never hear the end of it if I made Junior here wait to open presents." Ellis was too busy recounting his own ghosts of Christmas past to hear the jibe, but scurried ahead eagerly as the older trio made for the den.

Their tree - shrub, really - sparkled with tinsel and fake icicles. It seemed a little out of place in warm Southern California, but that was Christmas for you. Under it was a pile of parcels, each wrapped in bright paper and labeled with TO: and FROM: stickers.

"I wanna go first!" cried Ellis, swooping down to grab two presents. Grinning with anticipation, he pressed one into Rochelle's hands and the other into Nick's, narrowly avoiding a coffee-spill incident.

"Now hold on, Coach, you got one too." He ran back to the kitchen. Rochelle and Coach exchanged glances as they heard the kid rummaging in the freezer. Nick, slowly coming back to life as the coffee worked its magic, squinted at his gift.

Ellis returned with the plain cardboard box labeled "DO NOT TOUCH" that had been sitting in the icebox for two months. He passed it to Coach, barely suppressing laughter.

"Go on, open it! Open it! Nick, you wanna watch this."

The eldest of their group put down his now-empty mug and gingerly opened the cold package. The sides fell away as he removed tab A from slot B, revealing…

"The helicopter! It's made of chocolate!" Nick nearly did a coffee spit-take.

Coach started to chuckle, first slowly, then more, until it became a full-throated roar of laughter. Rochelle gasped for breath through her tears of merriment. Ellis grinned from ear to ear.

"I ain't lost my whittlin' skills from back home yet! And if you keep it cold, chocolate's like wood, so I got a big block from the bake shop… D'you like it?"

Coach very carefully lifted the rough-hewn aeronautic confection and placed it aside, then rose from the couch to catch Ellis in a huge hug.

"You thoughtful little bastard, I love it."

"Better eat it 'fore it melts."

Rochelle was next. Her box was not from the freezer, and it was light. She carefully removed the paper, slowly to antagonize Ellis a little. He'd blacked out the sides of the box so she couldn't tell what was in it. Using her nail, she sliced the quality-assurance seal and lifted the lid. Inside were what looked like four plain black bracelets, but as she drew them out she noticed the design.

"They're made a' lenses! From cameras! 'Cause you're in news and all and…" Ellis stopped talking as Rochelle took her turn to hug him.

"These are going to go _great_ with nearly everything. I love them." She slipped two onto her left wrist, and they did complement her black belt and heels. _I __knew __this __outfit __was__ missing __something,__ and__ here __it __is,_ she mused. _Black__ ties __purple __and __orange __together__ really __well._

Ellis rounded on Nick, nearly panting with excitement. His boyfriend gave him an arch glare from over the rim of his mug, but quickly finished off his coffee and shook his head to clear it.

"All right, all right. I'm awake," he told Ellis hoarsely before the young man decided to force the process. "Let's see what's in this thing."

He already knew what his present was. The wide, flat box gave it away, but he pretended to be surprised when he tore the paper off a brand-new white suit. Then he noticed the label, and really was surprised.

"_Lord__&__Tay-_ Ellis, how the…" A finger placed on his lips shushed him.

"I know ya look good in it, an' your old one was all covered in blood an' brains an' shit," Ellis explained. "It ain't what you're used to, with me not havin' ten grand to drop, but it's def'nitly your size and…"

It was Nick's turn to shush Ellis with a deep kiss.

Rochelle smiled and looked away. Coach caught her eye.

"Guess it's my turn, baby girl. This one's for you." He gave her a small, hard box that very obviously contained jewelry. She beamed at him, removed the wrapping and opened the catch.

"Ooh, it's beautiful," she breathed, delicately lifting a long silver chain. It widened in the middle, where five glowing citrines of different sizes were symmetrically set in a row. "And it matches my shirt, too!" Coach offered to help with the clasp, so she turned and lifted her hair. When he was done, he squeezed her shoulder.

"You look mighty fine, girl. Some boy'll be lucky to have you, one day."

"Oh stoppit, Coach, you sound like my father," she chided, and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed happily for a moment, then turned to the other men.

"All right, quit kiddin' around, now. Back to business. Ellis?"

The mechanic broke from his embrace and turned. "Damn, Rochelle, that looks real nice," he told her, and accepted a box from Coach.

Under the paper was a new football, cradled in its cardboard frame.

"Now we can play catch proper," Coach said. "I guess it's a little selfish, but you've been sayin' you want to learn the game."

Ellis grinned widely. "You bet. Hey man, thanks a lot!" They high-fived.

"All right, you old sonofabitch," Coach addressed Nick playfully. "Catch."

Even only half-awake, the gambler's reflexes were good. He caught the weighty package from the air and smoothly tore off the wrapping. Inside was a poker set: Vegas-themed deck and casino-regulation chips, complete with case. Nick was impressed.

"Wow. No, seriously, wow. We're gonna have to start doing poker nights," he said without a trace of his usual sarcasm. "Thanks, Coach. I mean it."

Rochelle bent to gather her presents from the floor. "Here you go. Coach, Nick, Ellis."

"I'll go first this time," Nick announced. Coach and Ellis shrugged.

The package was actually pretty tiny, and inside was a single pair of emerald-green dice with silver pips. Nick admired them - they matched his eyes.

"Go on, toss 'em," Rochelle prompted. Nick laughed as they came up five-two. "Again," she said.

Instead of rolling, he hefted the dice and worked them in his hand. Suddenly he looked up at Rochelle with a twinkle in his eye. "They're loaded."

She grinned wickedly. "You bet. Don't ever blame me if you get kicked out of a club for using them."

Nick grinned right back, and stowed his present in the poker case. "I won't ask where you got these."

Rochelle nudged Ellis. "Your turn. Do the wrapped one first."

He looked at the plain envelope taped to an unboxed, squishy lump and set it aside. Careful not to tear whatever was in the amorphous package, he removed the wrapping paper. Two blue plastic ponchos fell to the floor.

Rochelle smiled at his confusion. "Okay, now you can open the envelope."

She watched his face as it started at mystification, slowly passed through realization, stopped for a moment at shock, then burst into full-blown ecstasy. Ellis grabbed her in a hug so strong that for a brief time she couldn't breathe. He was so excited that he - Ellis the chatterbox - was at a loss for words. Nick and Coach looked on, bemused.

"_SEA__ WORLD!_" he eventually managed to cry. He danced around, waving two tickets in the air. Nick's eyes glared daggers at Rochelle.

"You've doomed me, woman."

"Oh go on, you'll have fun," she gasped, finally able to catch her breath. "You remember what fun is, right?

The conman dropped his head into his hands, trying to ignore his partner's jubilation. Clearly he still hadn't had enough caffeine yet.

Rochelle turned to Coach. "Just yours left."

The older man turned his attention from the in-flight entertainment to the oddly shaped item in his hands. Rochelle suddenly remembered something and dashed to the kitchen, quickly returning with a pair of evil-looking shears.

"You're probably going to need these."

Coach put the tool down next to him and removed the paper. His small, amused smile grew wide, and he began to laugh heartily.

"Baby girl, you know me too well!"

He brought the shears to bear on the obnoxious plastic packaging, and in short order placed a pair of serious-looking black headphones over his ears. He sighed in satisfaction and leaned back.

"Like he's not even there… Ro, I owe you big time."

Rochelle smiled but didn't bother replying. He wouldn't hear her through the noise-cancelling headwear.

Eventually Ellis remembered that Nick hadn't given out his presents yet, and calmed down sufficiently to let Coach take off his new toy without fear of migraine.

Nick distributed his presents almost reluctantly. Ellis grinned at him.

"You said you didn't get me one."

"Shut up, you knew I did."

Rochelle went first this time.

"_Anchorman, __Groundhog __Day_ and _Ghostbusters_ on DVD? How'd you know I love these movies?"

Nick shrugged dismissively. "In my line of work, it pays to be observant. I figured it out."

Rochelle smooched him on the cheek. "Thanks."

Nick cleared his throat awkwardly and motioned that Coach should go ahead. The older man hefted his box and began to dissect it. His face bloomed in glee, the same way it did when they'd finally gotten rescued almost two years before.

"You didn't. You didn't!"

"Excuse me? I believe I did."

Coach laughed and laughed, displaying the Midnight Riders Complete Discography to Ellis and Rochelle.

"You ain't so bad after all, you scumbag," he told Nick.

"Hey, can I listen too?" the mechanic asked eagerly.

"Damn straight, son. You and me, we gonna _rock_ this town!"

"One condition. NO fireworks!" Nick warned sternly. "I'll kill you myself if you burn this place down."

Ellis looked disappointed, but since Coach agreed, he did too. Rochelle was secretly relieved that she wouldn't have to report on the idiot refugee who destroyed the relocation housing.

Nick turned to his partner and gave him the last box. Ellis grinned at him and tore off the paper.

"Aw, yeah! Hell yeah! Movie night, Ro!" he examined at the DVDs in his hands. "Oh man I LOVE _Zombieland!_ And all three of "Ice Cream and Blood!" I never got to see the last movie, 'cause of the apocalypse and all… Ooooh we gotta watch it!"

Ellis pounced on Nick and gave him a hug and a big, sloppy kiss. When his face was visible again, the conman actually looked happy.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day passed happily in movies, poker, and games of catch. Lunch was the usual boring scavenge through the cupboard, but for dinner they all piled into Ellis' restored '67 Chevy to get some real food.<p>

"I think we forgot something important," said Rochelle after they passed the fifth restaurant closed for the holidays.

"I know where we can go," Nick volunteered. "Back in New York, I had some Jewish… ah, _associates_. They always got Chinese on Christmas, since none of those take-outs ever close."

"I know a real good buffet 'bout a mile from here. It's near the freeway," Coach suggested.

"Well then, lead the way, brother," said Ellis. "Right or left up ahead?"

The buffet was, in fact, "real good." They all ate their fill, and Ellis stuffed two sugar-coated fried dough balls into Rochelle's purse for later. She made sure they were completely wrapped with napkins first.

The ride home was amiably quiet, and the rest of the evening passed in overstuffed satisfaction. Coach led them in a brief Christmas prayer, earnestly thanking Jesus for seeing them through safe to this moment.

"_Shehekkianu_," quipped Nick when the others said "Amen."

They watched _A__ Christmas __Story_ on TV. Nick produced a bottle of wine to share. Ellis regaled them with the story of how Keith once got his tongue stuck in the freezer. Rochelle sang "Hark the Herald Angels" with such soul that Coach was moved to tears.

Eventually the hour grew late, prompting many yawns and dreamy stares into the distance. Coach retired first, followed by Rochelle soon after.

"God rest ye, merry gentlemen." Her door shut with a soft _click_.

They stayed up long after Coach and Rochelle fell asleep, just sitting on the couch and listening to soft music. Nick held Ellis close in the peaceful quiet, deeply content but a little nervous. He gently kissed his lover's hair as the holiday CD finished "Silent Night" and clicked softly. "Noel" began to play.

Ellis stirred. "I love this song," he said quietly, and began to hum the tune. A thrill shook Nick from toes to crown.

It was time.

"You ever been to Boston?"

"Nuh-uh."

"We used to get _real_ snow up there, so deep that cars could just disappear. When I was little I'd throw snowballs at the college kids to piss 'em off. And sledding… I want to take you sledding some day."

Ellis imagined rushing downhill on a little piece of plastic, and liked it. "Mmm. And hot cocoa, right?"

"Right."

…_winter__'__s__ night __that__ was __so __deep.__ Noel, __noel_…

"Hey, Ellis?"

"Yeah?"

"I have… I have another present for you." Nick curled his hand tightly around the little box in his pocket and swallowed nervously.

"And this mornin' you said you didn't get me anything," Ellis teased and sat up expectantly.

"Yeah, well… I did." For once Nick couldn't come up with anything smart-aleck to say. He didn't really want to, either. This moment had to be real. Drawing up every ounce of his courage, he looked his boyfriend squarely in the eye.

"We've been a… a _thing_ for what, two years now? We've been through hell and high water, together. We fought back when the world was ending and we _won_! So… I've realized that from now on, I don't want to watch anybody's back but yours… and I know you've always got mine."

Every neuron in his brain screamed, _Now! __Do __it __NOW!_ His hand trembled as he drew it from his pocket. He kept his eyes fixed on Ellis' face, where realization was slowly dawning.

"Nick…"

"Ellis? … Will you marry me?"

Tears spilled from Ellis' sapphire eyes. He took the shining ring with shaking fingers and grabbed Nick's hand tight.

"Hell yeah," he whispered, then louder announced "Yes. Yes I will!"

The box clattered to the ground as they embraced. Nick felt profound relief and unreserved joy wash over him as he buried his face in his new fiancé's shoulder, and surrendered.

…_noel,__ noel, __b__orn __is __the __King __of __Israel!_…

"Hey, Nick."

"Yeah?"

"It's a damn good thing we live in California now."


End file.
